Gender equality and politics

Here are the contenders for the Liberal Democrat Party leadership:

Menzies Campbell
Simon Hughes
Chris Huhne
Mark Oaten (now withdrawn)

Here's an obvious fact: they are all men.

I'm disappointed but not suprised by this. There are no women contenders at all. In the leadership for the Conservative Party a few months ago there were no women contenders. If there is a Labour Party leadership race and not a coronation (which is unlikely) will there be any women contenders? Probably not. I'm not talking about leadership, just potential leadership, and there are no women at all. When will we get gender equality in society and in Parliament?

I heard that at the current rate of women MPs coming into the House of Commons it will be 300 years before we achieve equality. 300 years! I was watching Star Trek Enterprise the other day, and that is set only 150 years in the future! That means at the rate that Parliament is achieving gender equality it will still not have achieved it at the time of Star Trek. Something ain't right there.